Jackanapes Read online

  CHAPTER II.

  And he wandered away and away With Nature, the dear old Nurse.

  LONGFELLOW.

  The Grey Goose remembered quite well the year that Jackanapes beganto walk, for it was the year that the speckled hen for the first timein all her motherly life got out of patience when she was sitting. Shehad been rather proud of the eggs--they are unusually large--but shenever felt quite comfortable on them; and whether it was because sheused to get cramp, and got off the nest, or because the season wasbad, or what, she never could tell, but every egg was addled but one,and the one that did hatch gave her more trouble than any chick shehad ever reared.

  It was a fine, downy, bright yellow little thing, but it had amonstrous big nose and feet, and such an ungainly walk as she knew noother instance of in her well-bred and high-stepping family. And as tobehavior, it was not that it was either quarrelsome or moping, butsimply unlike the rest. When the other chicks hopped and cheeped onthe Green all at their mother's feet, this solitary yellow one wentwaddling off on its own responsibility, and do or cluck what thespreckled hen would, it went to play in the pond.

  It was off one day as usual, and the hen was fussing and fuming afterit, when the Postman, going to deliver a letter at Miss Jessamine'sdoor, was nearly knocked over by the good lady herself, who, burstingout of the house with her cap just off and her bonnet just not on,fell into his arms, crying--

  "Baby! Baby! Jackanapes! Jackanapes!"

  If the Postman loved anything on earth, he loved the Captain'syellow-haired child, so propping Miss Jessamine against her owndoor-post, he followed the direction of her trembling fingers and madefor the Green.

  Jackanapes had had the start of the Postman by nearly ten minutes. Theworld--the round green world with an oak tree on it--was just becomingvery interesting to him. He had tried, vigorously but ineffectually,to mount a passing pig the last time he was taken out walking; butthen he was encumbered with a nurse. Now he was his own master, andmight, by courage and energy, become the master of that delightful,downy, dumpy, yellow thing, that was bobbing along over the greengrass in front of him. Forward! Charge! He aimed well, and grabbed it,but only to feel the delicious downiness and dumpiness slippingthrough his fingers as he fell upon his face. "Quawk!" said the yellowthing, and wobbled off sideways. It was this oblique movement thatenabled Jackanapes to come up with it, for it was bound for the Pond,and therefore obliged to come back into line. He failed again fromtop-heaviness, and his prey escaped sideways as before, and, asbefore, lost ground in getting back to the direct road to the Pond.

  And at the Pond the Postman found them both, one yellow thing rockingsafely on the ripples that lie beyond duck-weed, and the other washinghis draggled frock with tears, because he too had tried to sit uponthe Pond, and it wouldn't hold him.